The Higgs boson has an important role in the theoretical formulation of the standard model of fundamental interactions. Symmetry breaking of the vacuum via the Higgs field allows the gauge bosons of the weak interaction and all fermions to acquire mass in a way that preserves gauge-invariance, and thus renormalizablility. The Standard Model can accommodate an arbitrary number of Higgs fields with appropriate charge assignments. To explore the effects of multiple Higgs particles, the SU(2)-multi-Higgs model is studied using lattice simulations, a non-perturbative technique in which the fields are placed on a discrete space-time lattice. The formalism and methods of lattice field theory are discussed in detail. Standard results for the SU(2)-Higgs model are reproduced via Monte Carlo simulations, in particular the single-Higgs phase structure, which has a region of analytic connection between the symmetric and Higgs phases. The phase structure of the SU(2)-multi-Higgs model is explored for the case of N >= 2 identical Higgs fields. There is no remaining region of analytic connection between the phases, at least when interactions between different Higgs flavours are omitted. An explanation of this result in terms of enhancement from overlapping phase transitions is explored for N = 2 by introducing an asymmetry in the hopping parameters of the Higgs fields.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:SSU.etd-05252009-181817 |
| Date | 29 July 2009 |
| Creators | Wurtz, Mark Bryan |
| Contributors | Dick, Rainer, Xiao, Chijin, Steele, Tom, Tanaka, Kaori, Degenstein, Doug, Bowles, Richard |
| Publisher | University of Saskatchewan |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://library.usask.ca/theses/available/etd-05252009-181817/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to University of Saskatchewan or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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